title: TL behavior of topaz-glass composite in various irradiation fields.
abstract: Topaz is a natural hard silicate mineral that has the potential to be used as a thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD). It is difficult to manufacture chips of topaz and problematic to use its powder as TLDs. Topaz-glass composite (in the form of pellets) can be made easily and applied for radiation dosimetry. To produce pellets of topaz-glass composite in 2:1 wt (%), topaz powder was combined with commercial glass. The pellets with 6 mm diameter and 1 mm thickness were sintered in a furnace at 900°C for 1 h. The composite pellets were irradiated with x-ray and gamma photons and alpha and beta particles. The pellets yielded two peaks in the glow curve; Peak 1 at temperature range 150-160°C and Peak 2 at 250-260°C. The intensity of Peak 2 rose linearly with the increase in absorbed dose. The intensity of Peak 2 was comparable with peaks for photons and beta irradiation but relatively low for alpha exposure. The reproducibility of the intensity of Peak 2 was within 5-8%. Two months after irradiation of the pellets, the fading of the intensity of Peak 2 was found to be about 7%. The topaz-glass composite can be used effectively and efficiently for dosimetry of alpha, beta, and gamma radiation.
authors.affiliation: Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nilore, Islamabad 45650, Pakistan. phd0913@pieas.edu.pk
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sardar
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tufail
authors.forename: Linda V E
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Caldas
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Antonio
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Carvalho
mesh_terms: D005898:Glass / Q000737:chemistry*; D016014:Linear Models; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017640:Silicates / Q000737:chemistry*; D013819:Thermoluminescent Dosimetry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D017640:Silicates